Enumclaw Courier-Herald

On Jan. 5, the Washington state Supreme Court ruled (McCleary v. Washington) that the state isn’t amply funding basic education. On Dec. 20, the Washington state Supreme Court issued an order regarding progress made in McCleary. Below is a statement from State Superintendent Randy Dorn on the order.

I welcome the Supreme Court’s order on the first report prepared by the Joint Select Committee on Article IX Litigation. It is crucial that the Supreme Court stay involved in the process.

The committee’s report outlined steps the Legislature is taking to meet the Supreme Court’s McCleary decision. The Supreme Court wrote that the report falls short of expectations, writing, “The report does not sufficiently indicate how full compliance with (the Constitution) will be achieved.” It required the Legislature to present a clear plan for full funding of basic education with timelines.

But such a plan already exists. The Quality Education Council, formed in 2009, has created a plan for full funding of basic education by 2018. I support the QEC’s plan, and I urge the Legislature to do the same. The longer we wait to fully fund basic education, the more students will fail to get the education they deserve.